#lauren-oliver

"Hope keeps you alive."

"And it's the funniest thing: as soon as I see it, the whistling in my ears stops and the feeling of terror drains away, and I realize this whole time I haven't been falling at all. I've been floating."

"This is what I want. This is the only thing I've ever wanted. Everything else—every single second of every single day that has come before this very moment, this kiss—has meant nothing."

"I told you,"he whispers back. I can feel his breath just tickling the space behind my ear, making my hair prick up on my neck. "I like you.""You don't know me,"I say quickly."I want to, though."

"I'd rather die on my own terms than live on theirs. I'd rather die loving Alex than live without him."

"He is my world and my world is him and without him there is no world."

"Are you sure that being like everybody else will make you happy?""I don't know any other way.""Let me show you."And then we're kissing. Or at least, I think we're kissing—I've only seen it done a couple of times, quick closed-mouth pecks at weddings or on formal occasions. But this isn't like anything I've ever seen, or imagined, or even dreamed: this is like music or dancing but better than both."

"Find the things that matter, and hold on to them, and fight for them, and refuse to let them go."